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C. T. WADE.

VALVE CONSTRUCTION. APPLICATION FILED MAR. I, 1917.

1 ,35'7,600. Patented Nov. 2, 1920.

I H is UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES T. WADE, 0F HAGKET'ISTOWN, NEW JERSEY.

VALVE CONSTRUCTION.

Specification of Letters lEatent.

Patented Nov. 2, 1920.

Application filed March 7, 1917. Serial No. 152,967.

features of the invention are particularly applicable to rotary disk valves for internal combustion or other engines, or other mechanism in which a valve construction of the character set forth could be satisfactorily employed. Other features are applicable to reciprocating as well as rotary valves.

Among the objects of the invention are the provision of a valve construction in which leakage and frictional resistance are reduced to a minimum, in which obj ectionable effects of possible warping of the valve are guarded against and in which the quick opening and closing of the ports is provided for.

Other objects of the invention and the principles and features of construction by which the advantages of the invention are secured, will appear from the following description.

In the accompanying drawing, which forms a part of this specification, I have illustrated one particular application of my invention to a rotary disk valve construction for internal combustion engines but it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific application or to the specific construction set forth.

In these drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of the engine cylinder, piston, valve casing and valve, the location of the section being indicated by line II -II of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the construction shown in Fig. 1, a part of the top of the valve casing being broken away. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view on an enlarged scale showing a portion of the valve and casing at one of the ports. Fig. 4 is a plan view of a construction with the top of the valve casing removed, showing a valve with a modified form port opening. Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view illustrating a modified form of packing,

Referring'to the drawings in detail, the

numeral 1 designates the engine cylinder in which reciprocates the piston2. 3 is the valve casing which is closed by a top or cover 4. 5 is a rotary disk valve which in the construction illustrated controls both the inlet and exhaust of the cylinder, although as will be understood more than one valve may be employed for each cylinder, if desired, or one valve may be arranged to control access to a plurality of cylinders.

In the construction illustrated the cylinder is provided with separate inlet and exhaust ports, the exhaust port being designated by the numeral 6 and communicating with an exhaust pipe 7, while the inlet port is indicated at 8 and communicated with the inlet pipe 9. The disk valve 5 extends across both of these ports and is inclosed between the upper and lower walls of the valve casing. A suitable port opening is provided in the valve in order to establish communication at proper times between the inlet and exhaust pipes and the interior of the cylinder. This opening may be a single large orifice or may consist of a group of small holes or slots. In the construction illustrated but one orifice or group of holes constituting the opening is employed which controls the exhaust and inlet successively, but it will be understood that a plurality of separate openings or groups of openings for inlet and exhaust may be provided in the valve, if desired. In Figs. 1 and 2, the opening is shown as comprising a plurality of small holes 10 grouped as shown in Fig. 2, the advantages of which construction w1ll be explained below.

In order to minimize the effects of any warping of the valve, to avoid binding due to expansion of the parts when heated, to reduce the friction and to take up the thrust on the valve due to the pressures in the cylinder, I preferably construct the valve so that it does not fit tightly within the valve casing but moves freely therein, a slight clearance space 11 being left between the rotating parts and the valve casing at all points. Suitable anti-friction bearings,

such for instance as ball bearings, are provided for suspending the valve in this free position and for taking up the thrust. As illustrated, two rows of ball bearings 12 and 13 are provided between the upper surface of the valve and the under-surface of the top of the valve casing which effectually take up the thrust and assist in maintaining the valve in true position, the valve being suspended and rotated by means of a stem 14: on which is a collar 15 secured in properly adjusted position in any suitable manner as by means of a nut 16. A third ball bearing 17 is located between the collar 15 and the upper surface of the top of the valve casing. With this construction, it will be seen that the valve is entirely supported'by the three ball bearings mentioned and has no actual sliding contact with any part of the valve casing. This permits of a substantial amount of expansion or warping without binding. The space around the valve may also contain lubricant which reduces friction and insures a smooth working of the parts.

In order to prevent leakage around the valve, I provide paekings which surround the casing ports above and below the valve. These packings may be of any suitable construction preferably similar to those shown which consist of U-shaped rings 18 having contact surfaces 19 bearing against the valve and legs 20 which are received in grooves in the VHlXB casing. Spiral springs 21 or springs of any other suitable type may be employed if desired to urge the packing rings against the valve. Preferably the packing rings are also provided with inwardly extending flanges or collars 22 between which and the adjacent walls of the casing, narrow slots or grooves 23 are left into which the fluid under pressure enters thus forcing the packing rings against the valve surfaces. This construction is advantageous as it results in producing a variable pressure between the surfaces of the packing ring and valve depending upon the fluid pressure existing at the time, this variable fluid pressure also being the factor deter mining the tendency to leakage which is to be overcome. The packing rings may be constructed in any other suitable manner from that described, for instance as illustrated in Fig. 5, in which a double ring is provided consisting of two relatively inverted tele scoping U-shaped rings 24: and 25. Other modifications may of course be employed, for instance two or more concentric packing rings might be utilized as an additional precaution against leakage. The U-shaped section of the packing rings is desirable as the springs may be located within the U, where they are protected. and the legs or flanges of the U also render leakage of the fluid under the ring diflicult.

Considering now the construction of the port opening in the valve disk above referred to, it Will be seen that if this opening consists, as in the construction illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, of a number of holes or slots of less diameter than. the width of the face of the packing ring, leakage around the ring as the perforated part of the valve passes thereover is substantially eliminated.

This is true as there can never be a continuous passage through a part of the port opening from one edge of the packing ring face to the other as would occur if the valve were provided with a large opening or a series of openings of greater dimensions than the width of the packing ring. The use of a number of small openings also gives better support to the packing rings and insures smooth sliding movement at all times.

Another feature of the port opening in the valve consists in the formation of the opening with concavely curved ends or opening and closing edges as indicated at 26. This construction permits the use of circular casing ports while still securing quick opening and closing thereof. This is perhaps best illustrated by reference to Fig. 4 in which the disk valve is provided with a single orifice 27 having the circular concave and closing edges or ends indicated at 26, the curvature of these ends being preferably substantially the same as the curvature of the inlet and exhaust ports. Fig. 4 shows the orifice 2? in full lines as about to pass out of register with the inlet port so as to close the latter. It will be seen, however, that while the port is about to be closed entirely, there is still a considerable open area which is of crescent shape as indicated at 28. hen the valve is uncovering the port a similar substantially crescent-shaped passageway will be opened very quickly as the valve rotates. A similar result is obtained where small holes or slots as shown in Fig. 2 are used, when these holes are arranged so as to provide the concavely curved end formation indicated. This shape, whether of a simple opening or of a group of small openings, is important as permitting the use of circular casing ports which are easy to construct and in connection with which circular packing rings may be employed. The advantages of a circular construction over angular, wedge or sector shapes, are manifest as the machining operations involved are simple and may be carried out with much greater ease and precision than would be possible in the case of openings of other shapes.

The disk valve may be rotated in any suitable manner, it being illustrated as driven by a bevel gear 29 on the stem 14 which meshes with a bevel gear 30 on a shaft 31. The latter may be driven through any suitable gearing (not shown) from the crank shaft of the engine. In a multicylinder engine, the shaft 31 may be provided with a number of gears for driving all of the valves or any other suitable construction for operating the valves may be employed. Obviously in a four-cycle engine, the construction illustrated, the valves would be rotated at half the speed of the crank shaft.

While I have illustrated and described in detail but one preferred embodiment ofmy invention, I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to this specific structure as the invention may be applied in other ways and adapted to other uses. The various details of construction may also be extensively modified as may be found expedient. I intend, therefore, to cover my invention broadly in whatever form its principle may find embodiment.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A valve having a port opening therethrough comprising a group of small holes, the holes forming the opening and closing boundaries of the opening being arranged in concave configuration.

2. In a valve construction, the combination of a casing having a port therein, a packing strip adjacent to said port, and a valve sliding in contact with said packing strip and having an opening therethrough adapted to be brought into and out of register with said port, said opening consisting of a group of holes, none of which are of sufficient dimensions to span said packing strip.

3. In a valve construction, the combination of a casing having a port therein, a packing ring surrounding said port, and a rotatable disk valve in said casing adapted to slide in contact with said packing ring, said valve having a port opening therein comprising a group of holes, the dimensions of which are less than the width of said packing ring. i

i. In a valve construction, the combination of a casing having a circular port therein, packing rings surrounding said port, and a valve slidably mounted in said casing and engaged on opposite surfaces by said packing rings and having a port opening therethrough, said port opening comprising a group of holes, the diameters of which are less than the width of said rings, said holes being arranged so as to provideconcave opening and closing boundaries for the port openin 7 contact with said packing ring.

6. In a valve construction, the combination of a casing having a port in the wall thereof, an annular recess in said wall around said port, an inverted U-shaped packing ring mounted in said recess, and a valve sliding in contact with said packing ring.

7. In a valve construction, the combination of a casing having a port in the wall thereof, an annular recess in said wall around said port, an inverted U-shaped packing ring mounted in said recess, a valve sliding in contact with said packing ring, and springs mounted within the packing ring section for urging said ring against the surface of said valve.

8. In a valve construction, the combination of a casing having a port in the wall thereof, an annular recess in said wall around said port, an inverted U-shaped packing ring mounted in said recess, a valve sliding in contact with said packing ring, and means for permitting fluid pressure to act on said ring to urge "the same into contact with the surface of said valve.

9. In a valve construction the combination of a valve, a casing in which said. valve is mounted, said casing having a port in a wall thereof, said wall having. a recess formed therein around said port, said recess having a portion communicating with said port adjacent to the surface of the valve, and having another portion cut deeper into the wall than said first-mentioned portion, and a packing ring mounted in said recess, and

having a portion slidably fitted in the deeper portion of said recess, and having an inwardly extending collar extending into the part'of said recess which opens into said port, the rear surface of said collar being slightly spaced from the adjacent wall of the recess, whereby fluid pressure is permitted to enter between said wall and the rear surface of said collar so as to act on said packing ring'to urge the same into contact with the surface of said valve.

0. T. WADE. 

